The second Kootenay Festival may not be until July, but organizers are already on the lookout for volunteers.
Last year's inaugural festival was a big success with hundreds of visitors enjoying music, food, vendor booths, and great entertainment. This year's event looks to be even better with great music from Aché Brasil and Wasabi Collective already confirmed.
"We're gearing up for a fantastic day on July 14," said Audrey Polovnikoff, chair of the Kootenay Festival committee. "Last year we had just fantastic volunteers come out and help us prepare for the day with set up on the Friday, set up on Saturday, during the day, and then clean up. So we're asking if anyone is interested in helping out this year."
Applications for volunteering are available on the festival's website at www.kootenayfestival.com and can also be picked up at the Castlegar Community Centre.
"We need help with setting up again," said Polovnikoff. "Last year, we had the Rotary Interactors group and the USCC Vision of Peace youth group and they were both amazing and we're hoping they'll come back on board this year. We had over 70 volunteers last year. This year we are hoping to have even more."
Some of the jobs that need volunteers are: set up and take down; children's painting project; admissions; and parking.
"We also need people to go out and check on our vendors regularly just in case they need to step away from their booths," said Polovnikoff. "We have new kids' activities we'll need help with. We also want to make sure we look after all our performers, so we have backstage help that's needed."
Polovnikoff says the committee is already getting emails and messages from people who want to be involved again.
"We do have applications forms this year," she said. "We want to make sure we get people the right sized shirts and put people in the jobs they want to do. That's something we didn't have last year. We want to make sure people do fill out those application forms."
Organizers are also looking for motorized golf carts and drivers to help escort seniors around the site.
"It's quite a big area," said Polovnikoff. "So we want to be able to pick up seniors and take them where they want to go. We're hoping for more golf carts. So if anyone has any golf carts they can lend us for the day, that would be fantastic."